I've been covering the video game space for 20 years for outlets like The Washington Post, Reuters, CNET, AOL, Wired Magazine, Yahoo!, Entertainment Weekly, NBC, Variety, Maxim, EGM, and ESPN. I serve as EIC of GamerHub.tv and co-founder of GamerHub Content Network, a video game and technology video syndication network that works with Tribune and DBG to syndicate game videos and editorial around the world. I also cover games for outlets like The Hollywood Reporter, IGN, Geek Monthly, CNN, DigitalTrends and PrimaGames.

Dell Invests In League Of Legends Team Curse With Alienware Sponsorship

With Riot Games’ League of Legends League Championship Series Season Three in full swing, Team Curse is currently ranked first place in North America with a 12-2 record (as of March 18, 2013). During the first three weeks after the start of the season, Team Curse came out swinging and went 7-0, undefeated in the season.

That success has attracted a new sponsor in custom PC maker Alienware, which is owned by Dell. The team was previously supported by Origin PC. Team Curse is currently sponsored by Teamspeak, CM Storm by Cooler Master, Grubhub and Full Sail University.

“Team Curse will be integrating Alienware into everything we do – video and streaming activities, casual gaming, scrimming, and practicing,” said Steven Arhancet, director of eSports at Curse Inc. “We will be working closely with Alienware to deliver experiences that relate to the prestigious brand they have worked so hard to develop. This will also closely parallel the lifestyle we have chosen at the Curse Mansion in Las Vegas.”

Moving forward, Team Curse will now exclusively use Alienware PCs, in addition the team will be wearing Alienware’s logo on their jerseys for all tournaments, as well as displaying it on their team Website and livestreams on Twitch.tv. The introduction of streaming technology has made it possible for computer users world-wide to be a few clicks away from watching their favorite on-demand content. Because of this, gamers can now also tune in online to their favorite game or player and watch or chat with the streamer.

“Team Curse has some of the biggest streamers in the world,” said Arhancet. “Voyboy holds the record for the third most popular stream on Twitch.tv, only followed by Riot Games and NESL.TV. For anyone who doubts the broad reach of streaming – our players on an average month will generate 13,000,000 Views on their streams. In 2012 our players logged over 3,621 hours and just last month in February of 2013 we had a staggering 4 million total unique views to our players streams. Alienware will have their logo featured during our streams, which is able to reach a massive target audience. In Q3 and Q4 we plan on doing more interactive shows and produced events featuring Alienware for our audience to enjoy.”

“Alienware is excited to support Team Curse, another top-tier competitor, as they kick off their quest for eSports dominance. Game Victorious,” said Cody Norris from Alienware marketing.

In a recent study done by the League of Legends subreddit, and also a poll taken by the League of Legends forum community, Team Curse ranked as the most popular team in North America. The team’s following has exploded in the past year. Their social media following has multiplied from the thousands to the hundreds of thousands.

“Streaming opens up tremendous opportunities for brands to expose their message to a ravenous fan base in a safe and intimate setting,” said Arhancet. “It allows for an authentic brand experience that sponsors who have invested have seen a strong ROI. Prior to gaming houses – 95% of all the eSports viewership was centralized around tournaments like IPL, MLG, and NESL. Most advertisers and marketing companies find it standard policy to sponsor tournament organizations and venues. While there is considerable value in these types of sponsorships, we find that companies are able to convey a story and personality of their service and product more easily and convincingly through the personality and media outlets of a professional eSports team or player.”

Slowly, more mainstream companies are realizing the huge potential that eSports has opened up for connecting their brands with engaged gamers. League of Legends has over 40 million users and the developer, Riot Games, has invested millions of dollars into the success and growth of eSports. The gaming industry is a billion dollar industry, comprised of billions of people worldwide that is still experiencing dramatic growth as tech-savvy Gen X and Y populations age.

“Companies like Dell and other endemic organizations will find live streaming one of the most popular advertising choices to reach their target demographics,” said Arhancet. “Because Team Curse and our athletic talent stands at the forefront of this media channel – we see opportunities for Curse and organizations like Dell to promote their products and services.”

PCs are the lifeblood of League of Legends and StarCraft II players, just like NASCAR vehicles are to professional drivers. Like any professional athlete, the time commitment and training regimen is intense and it’s common to spend eight to 16 hours preparing for a pro gaming match.

“It is vital that we need high performance, reliable machines that enable us to practice without any technical or mechanical issues,” said Arhancet. “One minor software or hardware failure can make or break hours of scrimmage time. Alienware produces reliable high-performance machines – allowing us to continue competing at the professional level. Just like a professional golfer needs a set of reliable clubs or Federer needs a reliable racquet for playing tennis, professional gamers need a reliable machine. We need lightning fast reaction times and high performance components. Additionally, using the exact same machines that are used in the League Championship Series matches in North America means identical feel and consistency from scrimming at the Curse Mansion in Vegas to the tournament arena in Los Angeles.”

Post Your Comment

Post Your Reply

Forbes writers have the ability to call out member comments they find particularly interesting. Called-out comments are highlighted across the Forbes network. You'll be notified if your comment is called out.